Styling Tips for Family Portraits | Charlotte Family Photography
If there is one question that EVERY. SINGLE. FAMILY client of mine asks me it's, "What should we wear?" Let’s admit it. Choosing what to wear for photos can be super stressful, it’s enough to make anyone crazy, even photographers.
RULE #1 – CHOOSE A COLOR PALLET AND REMEMBER TO COORDINATE NOT MATCH
I totally get that you want dad's pants to match little Joey's & your shirt to match Sally's... all while everyone wears the same color shoes, or scarf or whatever...but if I'm being completely honest, it doesn't look THAT amazing! And you want your photos to look amazing, right?!
Okay, phew! So do I and that's why I'm letting you in on a little secret - DON'T MATCH but find many colorful items that GO-WITH each other (FYI, go-with & matching are not the same thing) Pick a palette of 3-4 colors. Let this be your starting place. Think in terms of tones: blue tones, ear tones, neutrals, pastels, etc. Everyone in the family can express their own sense of style within the chosen color palette and the whole group will coordinate beautifully.. The results will give you that WOW factor.
The best thing to do is chose mom’s outfit first (this is the most stressful) and then build everyone else’s outfit around what mom is wearing.
RULE #2 - PATTERNS ARE OUR BEST FRIEND
I don't care if it's flowers, polka dots, flannel, tool or ALL OF THE ABOVE, give me TEXTURES!!! Don't just wear solid colored attire- that just screams BORING! In addition to having a variety of colors make sure that you've given your style some PERSONALITY!.
RULE #3 - HAIR & MAKEUP? YES, PLEASE!
My camera picks up everything- especially your confidence. I fully encourage my clients (at least the mommy) to have their hair and makeup done for their family session. I don't know about you, but I feel super confident when my hair and makeup is on point.
I usually work with a few hair and makeup artists on a regular basis and always recommend that mom (and girls, but just their hair) But even Mac in the mall does makeup and for a great price! AND DON'T FORGET THOSE EYELASHES! Seriously though, eyelashes make a HUGE difference in the photo's. You go from oh nice to DAAAAAAANG GURL!!
So there you have it! 3 easy rules I encourage my clients to follow when they book a session with me! I've provided a list of stores that carry GREAT attire options for the whole family :)
WHERE TO SHOP (click the name to go to the web-page)
Here are some of my favorite color combinations
